Recycle/Reuse & Other Crafty Tutorials

I went web surfing this morning and found some really interesting and cool tutorials to share with you.  I have organized them into various craft areas below.

Fabric Jewelry

Stiffened Fabric Jewelry by Sister Diane

Stiffened Fabric Jewelry Tutorial by Sister Diane is found on the CraftyPod blog.  Lovely fabric jewelry, I plan to make some soon.

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Artist Kate Cusack’s Zippered Flower

Zipper Flower Tutorial on Craftster by Eli-chan.   Also see artist Kate Cusack and how she uses zippers in her amazing work, too.

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Louis Vuitton Knock off Fabric Bead Necklace by Froo*gal

Louis Vuitton “knock off” Fabric Bead Necklace Tutorial by Froo*gal- Great tutorial!

and here is another one:

Fabric Beads Necklace Tutorial– Julie Hardee  on the Martha Stewart site.  See the video, too.

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Terrific Necklace by Mixi

Fabric squares Necklace Tutorial by Mixi- Another great Craftster tutorial.  I really love this website.

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Mixed Media Projects:

by Diane Gilleland

Soda Can Flower Brooch Tutorial-by Diane Gilleland on the Craft Stylish Blog.  Quench your thirst and be stylish- all in one wonderful tutorial!

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Stacked Button Necklace and Photo by Kayte Terry

Stacked Button Necklace Tutorial by Kayte Terry.  This tutorial makes me want to pull out my button collection and play!

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Recycle/Reuse Jewelry Tutorial- How to make Shrinky Dink jewelry out of  recycling #6 Plastic.

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Scrabble Tile Pendant Tutorial by ihow.  (note by Carla- the website is no longer up and operating.  Google “scrabble tile tutorial” for more information.)

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That’s my list for today.  I do think that the lovely crafts above should get you plenty of ideas for being creative in 2010!  Hugs, Carla

New Year Beading

Here are my first creations of the New Year, at least my first work in progress (WIP):

The color palette was inspired by the lovely turquoise pendant in the back of the photo, shown above.  The beadweaving stitch is called a spiral peyote.  I still have lots of work to do before I complete it, but I thought I would share it with you.

Here are the beads:

I also made a first prototype, a much larger diameter spiral.  Below, you can see it as compared with my second attempt:

This type of off-loom beadweaving is also called Cellini spiral.  Here is a tutorial I found on the internet in case you wish to make one for yourself.

Today, we are spending the New Year with my grandson, Jack.  He is coming in a bit and will spend the day with us and also the night.  Being a grandmother is the BEST thing in the world!!

Happy New Year to you and yours!!  Carla

Recycle/Reuse Sweater Challenge #1

I have decided to hold my first Feathered Fibers Recycle/Reuse  Challenge for all you creative souls out there.    Anyone creative may participate.  All you have to do is create something artsy/crafty out of an old sweater or thrift store find; something you would actually wear or display in your home or studio that uses the philosophy of recycle/reuse.

You will need to post your  creation on your blog, and link back to this post.  Feel free to use the artwork above in your blog posting. (Save it to your computer as “Right Click, Save as” for PC users, and “Control, click, save as” for Mac Users).   If you do not have a blog, but still want to participate,  once you have your project ready to share, just drop me a comment and I will post it for you.

To help get those creative juices flowing,  here are just a few ideas:

-Deconstruct the sweater and reuse the yarn.

-Felt the sweater and then cut it apart and reuse it.  Here is a tutorial for how to spot wool and felt it.

-Add to the sweater and improve on it.  Here is a tutorial

-Only use part of the sweater.

-Chop the sweater up and create a fiber fabric out of it using this tutorial.

-Make a stuffed plushie.

-Create a winter hat or slippers.

Here a tutorial from Betz White for a pomander project using recycled sweaters.  See her other free tutorials, too.

Google “recycled sweater,” “recycled sweater project” or a similar term to locate fun ideas.

Any questions?   I hope you will join in the fun.

Regards, Carla

Christmas Cartoon

Merry Christmas to you and yours!  Here is a quick holiday toon that I sketched up this morning.  I am taking artistic license with a childhood memory:

When I was a little girl, I knew Santa was real because he always left behind his boot print in the fireplace.  Of course, in my chicken world, Santa leaves behind his chicken print and also gets stuck.  Life for chickens are just plain hard, I guess.  LOL

I have one more Christmas story to leave with you today.  One Christmas, when I was about 10, my sister and I thought we would outsmart my parents by unwrapping some of my gifts in the middle of the night and then rewrapping them.    Only two problems, one is that my twin aunts, who had been staying with us, came home late from dates and caught us red-handed.  My second problem was that due to the low lighting, I opened this really cool present, a bar set that makes fizzy drinks.  Only problem was that the package said “Carl,” my dad’s name, and not “Carla,” which I thought I saw.  Needless to say, I was really disappointed the next day when I saw my dad open it up instead of me.  Serves me right, I later thought.  LOL

Any childhood memories to share?

Merry Christmas!!  Carla

January Class Sneak Peek

I am teaching another Quilt Whisperer quilting design online class beginning January 11th through January 29th, 2010.  The class is being hosted by Machine Quilters Resource.

This class is all about creativity and quilting design.  Do you struggle to know what to quilt on any quilt?  Does the stand and stare method for choosing quilting design not work very well for you?  Then this class is just what you need.  It is open to all machine quilters- from quilting on a domestic home machine to midarm and longarm machines.  My class was written for all student levels- from beginner to advance.

Each week, for 3 weeks, I will post a lesson, an outline, and also have some videos to accompany each lesson.  I include lots of visuals into my class, including these sneak peek views:

I also have some fun Creative Exercises each week, here is a picture of how I completed one of the exercises:

Of course, I also sprinkle some of my cartoons throughout the Lessons, too:

Here are some rave reviews from students in my first online class:

“Wonderful class for newbies and seasoned quilters. I’ve been longarm quilting 4 years and was getting in a rut of quilting the same thing over and over. This class got the creative juices flowing and I can think about little else beside going home to quilt all these new designs!!
This was a wonderful class and I put it at the top of my list as the best longarm class I have had.  I’ve taken classes at the APQS showroom, MQS, Innovations and online. This one was hands down the best.”  – Debbi

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“Carla, I just wanted to say thanks again for all that I have learned through this class. I have learned so much more than just quilting design—so many tips and ways to PPP or visualize what is in my head and how to approach the business end of it. And the tablet—woohoo! Most importantly, I have gained confidence. Thanks.”   -Mel

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“Carla’s class was great! And her interaction with the students was wonderful. Did you sit in front of your computer the entire 3 weeks, Carla? You are an excellent instructor and I am looking forward to having more classes with you.”   – Helia

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If you are interested in taking my online class from the comfort of your home, then click on the link at the top.  It will take you to the page where you may securely sign up.

regards, Carla

Looking for a Christmas Present?

Still need to buy that perfect gift for your special someone?  Perhaps someone who spends a lot of time in their car?  I have just the right gift for you to buy from amazon.com.

An executive Laptop Steering Wheel Desk from a company called “Mobile Office.”  Still Undecided?  Here is what it looks like:

Wondering how to use it?  Perhaps this will help:

By now, I hope you have figured out that I am certainly kidding.  However, this is a real product being sold on Amazon.  It clearly shows that people will buy any stupid item or gadget.  What makes this product so hilarious is in reading the product reviews, with each reviewer trying to outdo each other with totally fake, but hilarious reviews.

Here are a few examples:

Makes a Great Cutting Board-I usually prepare a rotisserie chicken for lunch during my drive to work, as I have found the Ronco rotisserie fits perfectly on the passenger seat. Until now, however, I’ve had no place to prepare cole slaw or slice tomatoes for my salad during the trip. This thing is a godsend! I no longer have to waste my morning coffee break chopping cabbage on the men’s room counter!

“These work great in the cockpit for our transcontinental flight!” [Written by a Northwest Airline Pilot]

“Wow is this thing great! I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next.”

“Good for Breasfeeding!! I got this for my wife, and it works perfectly. Now she has something to balance the baby on so that she can nurse him while driving comfortably.”

“Perfect for my sushi delivery business. Now I can prepare sushi and sashimi between delivery stops. I have cancelled my lease on the restaurant and fired my sushi chef. My hands get a little messy after a while buy I can wipe them off on all the money I’m making.”

and my favorite, since I wrote it:

Rated 2 Stars: “This product was not made for  feminine drivers who wish to put their makeup on while taking a corner at a fast clip. I think this could be improved upon by having a small lip to prevent my makeup from sliding off. Oh yes, perhaps it could also come in decorative colors to match my car’s interior, too.”

… and about 420 more comments like this.

There are also photos added, too:

If you look close, you can see the product on the bottom

oops

Anyway, I hope this tickles your funny bone as it tickled mine.   I do think that eventually Amazon will get clued in and scrub all the reviews.  Especially the one about the boy and his parish priest and you fill in the blank.  Shocking!

Merry Christmas!  Carla

Ugly Christmas Sweater

My Sunday morning ritual includes having Joe bring me my cup of 100% Kona coffee, and we watch CBS Sunday Morning on the TV together.  This week, my favorite segment was the one on Ugly Christmas Sweater (UCS) parties and websites to fulfill the demand.  I am not making this up.   Really.

So I went hunting on the many UCS websites to find my favorite ugly Christmas sweaters. (Apologies in advance if you happen to own one of these festive sweaters)  Not sure if this sweater is intended to be worn by a man, woman or beast:

Here is a winning sweater sure to bring you attention:

Last up, one ugly sweater bound to make you look your best:

OK, so now that you have read this, I know some of you have some ugly Christmas Sweaters hanging in your closets that you just couldn’t part with.  I challenge you to come clean and share a UCS on your blog.  Or you can send a picture to me and I will do a follow-up post on this subject.  If you are too embarrassed to admit to owning one, then I will be nice and keep your confidence.

I think next year, I will throw an UCS party of my own.  LOL   Carla

Illustration Friday: Undone

My quick illustration Friday sketch was inspired by the snow storm that dumped snow on us last week.  In my chicken world, there are snow chickens:

There… a quick sketch to be sure, but at least I participated, no?  I thought about coloring it, but then my to-do list intruded.  LOL  Carla

ArtBead Challenge

Today, I am pleased to reveal my finished design for my ArtBeads.com latest Challenge.  I have shared previously that I am honored to be a part of their Blogging Designer’s program where I get to try out new items and then review them on my blog.

This time, I got to select from a wide variety of Cubic Zirconia products to base my design on.  I chose a variety of Cubic Zirconia beads to showcase, including this lovely cubic zirconia pendant which became my focal piece.  Here is my inspiration piece:

Here is a picture of my main focal pendant up close:

Cubic Zirconia  Faceted Twist Oval Drop- Peridot

Review:  I am not usually a “bling” person, but I love mixing shiny beads with matte beads and fibers in my work.  I loved what I chose and as always, the fast delivery service I received from ArtBeads.com.  I continue to be impressed with this company.

The quality of the Cubic Zirconia Peridot pendant was exceptional.  You can tell this from the images above.

How I made this project:

My inspiration was the peridot pendant.  Coming from a quilting and fiber background, I decided to stay true to my art and incorporate fabric into the design.  Here is the batik fabric used, which also inspired my color pallette:

I  braided the batik fabric with some matching yarn to get the base fiber necklace form.  This was scaled to just slip over my head, so no clasps were needed.   I next decided to tie the ends together and make a tassel out of fabric, yarn and beads.  My lovely peridot pendant rests on top of the tassel with just enough contrast to stand out and catch the eye.

I have included some peyote stitched beads above the tassel and I am now finishing the project by sewing on some peridot crystals I have on the necklace strap.  This will bring some more visual interest to the strap as well.

I hope you enjoy this project, I know I have.  Thanks to Artbeads.com for providing free-of-charge the peridot pendant for my honest review.  Please note that I have not been paid to write this by ArtBeads.com, and I have complete freedom to create my design and discuss how I like or did not like the product provided.

Coming News… I will be having a blog giveaway soon, so keep watching!

Regards, Carla Barrett

Ten Days Till Christmas

With only ten days to go, I have made a pretty good dent in my Christmas list.  I needed to get as many presents purchased by today  since I am going to be recuperating the next few days.   Tomorrow, I  get my lower spine levels injected by my anesthesiologist.  Be sure to keep your fingers crossed that the injection is successful.

I also needed to get my MacBook fixed under warranty, so I visited my local Apple Genius Bar.  Was I surprised when they swapped out my faulty DVD player and fixed it in less than a half hour.  I had terrific service!!

While at the Mall, I couldn’t help but notice that the rent-a-mall-cops were zipping around on their Segways.   I will upload a picture later that I took with my iphone.  Anyhow, I thought it was pretty funny!

My day did not end there… I also took my daughter Amy to have her hearing aids serviced and programmed.  She is very happy to be hearing once again. Anyone else have a loved one with hearing issues?

I also conducted some retail therapy for myself while I was out.  I bought 4 new books on beading and jewelry, then stopped at the bead store for supplies, too.  A visit to the library for easy reads while I recuperate ended a very productive and nice day.

If  I can, I will try to post tomorrow.  In the meantime,  happy holidays to you!